Our Process

  • 1

    Step 1 Ante-mortem inspection

    • Meat safety inspection done by meat examiner.
    • While the animals are on the field they are examined by a professional harvester / meat examiner via helicopter for visible health defects.
    • No animals with visible health defects are ear marked for the hunt.

  • 2

    Step 2 Culling (The Hunt)

    • Definition: Reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter.

      • Only farms registered for export with the Department of Veterinary Services allocated for culling. (Ensure healthy animals)
      • Only registered game harvesters used for culling.
      • Headshots only allowed for maximum meat usage.
  • 3

    Step 3 Bleeding

    • Within ten minutes after the animal was killed the bleeding process is started, by severing the jugular vein and carotid artery in either side of the neck with a sterilized knife.
    • Small to Medium animals are bled in a hanging position.
    • The fast bleeding process ensures excellent quality meat.
    • Properly bled carcasses facilitates maximum shelf life (12 to 18 months when kept frozen at -18°C or lower)

  • 4

    Step 4 First Post-Mortem Inspection

    • Meat safety inspection (Meat examiner and Provincial State Vet)
    • During culling preliminary inspections are done on the hunting procedure, bleeding times, and hygiene standard of equipment and transport.
    • Evisceration happens at the farm slaughter facility.
    • Carcasses are cooled down to below 7°C within 24 hours.
    •  

  • 5

    Step 5 Transport

    • Partially dressed carcasses are sent to the abattoir in cooled trucks.
    • Truck temperatures maintained below 7°C.
    • Carcasses are only released to the abattoir if a temperature below 7°C has been achieved in 24 hours.

  • 6

    Step 6 Off Loading Inspection of Truck. Carcasses & Documents

    • Export documentation of truck of animals are verified by the VPH official and independent Meat Inspector (Camo Meat use Agency for Food Safety)
    • VPN 9 – Annexure A, B & C
    • The truck seal is broken by a provincial Veterinary Public Health Official or VPH Veterinarian.
    • Meat safety inspection is done by VPH official and independent Meat Inspector while carcasses are still on the truck and while offloading takes place
    • Carcasses should be under 7°C in a time span of 24 hours from the time of harvest.
    • Partially dressed carcasses only received at the abattoir if cooled below 7°C in 24 hour period.
    • Carcasses are offloaded into a chiller running below 7°C at the abattoir side of the facility.

  • 7

    Step 7 Dressing of Carcass

    • Dressing takes place at a temperature of under 12°C.
    • The dressing is done with clean knives sterilized at 82°C
    • A 2 knife colour system is in place – for each carcass, a new sterilized knife is used.
    • All meat contaminated with blood and hair is cut away by the slaughter team.
    • All material (hoofs, skin, head, etc.)not fit for human consumption is removed to a designated room in bins marked for this purpose.

  • 8

    Inspection by independent Meat Inspector

    • After skinning, incisions are made to the carcass to inspect for the disease.
    • Any abnormalities of muscles, bones, tendons, joints, or other tissues.
    • If the Meat Inspector finds any suspect carcasses that do not comply with the standards, the carcass is sent to the DFI for a secondary inspection by a veterinarian.
    • If any diseases are evident – a report has to be sent to DAFF for the national database for reportable diseases. The carcass will be condemned.

    The following are considered:
    State of nutrition | Colour | Odour | Symmetry | Efficiency of bleeding | Contamination | Pathological conditions | Parasitic infestation | Injection marks | Bruising and injuries

  • 9

    Step 9 Deboning

    • Meat is stored in chillers at less than 7°C until deboning starts.
    • Deboning takes place at a room temperature of under 12°C.
    • A two knife colour system is in place- every hour the knife is exchanged for a clean sterilized knife.
    • Cuts / Trimmings are accumulated in crates with liners until full. And then it is sent to the wet packaging area.
    • The crates with primal cuts are sent after trimming for vacuum packing in the packing zone.
    • Deboned meat cuts.
    • Cuts are fully cleaned before they are vacuum-sealed.

  • 10

    Step 10 Packaging – Wet Packaging & Vacuum Packaging

    • Primals are packed in 70-micron vacuum bags for maximum shelf life retention.
    • Each vacuum bag is labeled with the specie and cut name.
    • Primals are then packed into a box – the kilograms of these boxes vary +/- 20 kg.
    • Trimmings are packed in a bag, vacuumed, and packed in a box – 20kg (4 x 5 kg)
    • Packaging – Dry Packaging & Boxing
    • Vacuum sealed products is then packed in the bottom of the box. The lid will only be put on after blast freezing
    • After vacuum packing the product is packed in a bottom box with air holes for maximum airflow.
    • Ventilation holes – to ensure proper blast freezing.
    • The first traceability label is put on the bottom of the box.

  • 11

    Step 11 X-Ray Scanning – Scanning for Foreign Objects.

    • Meat is sent for X ray scanning to ensure no foreign objects like projectile points / bullets are inside the meat.
    • Splintered bone fragments and anything that does not belong to the meat are picked up by the x-ray machine and can be taken out and discarded before blast freezing the product.
    • Consumer safety is first priority.

  • 12

    Step 12 Blast Freezing

    • The box is placed in a crate with large air holes for cold air to circulate around the product.
    • The product is placed in the blast freezer for 24 hours to freeze to -18°C

  • 13

    Step 13 Boxing / Pallets / Wrapping

    • After blast freezing the product temperature is checked to ensure it is below -18°C.
    • The top lid of the box is placed on the box. The second traceability label is put on the lid
    • The tamper-proof tape is used to strap the box.
    • Boxes are packed on pallets and wrapped with stretch wrap to secure the boxes during transit.

  • 14

    Step 14 Storage / Holding Freezer

    • After palletizing and wrapping the boxes are stored in the holding freezers at temperatures of -25°C.

  • 15

    Step 15 Dispatch

    • Freezer shipping containers maintaining product temperature at -21°C are used to place pallets in for shipping to its destination.
    • Containers are sealed by the South African State Vet to ensure full compliance in accordance with the country of destination import regulations.

Our Process

  • Step 1 Ante-mortem inspection

    • Meat safety inspection done by meat examiner.
    • While the animals are on the field they are examined by a professional harvester / meat examiner via helicopter for visible health defects.
    • No animals with visible health defects are ear marked for the hunt.

  • Step 2 Culling (The Hunt)

    • Definition: Reduce the population of (a wild animal) by selective slaughter.

      • Only farms registered for export with the Department of Veterinary Services allocated for culling. (Ensure healthy animals)
      • Only registered game harvesters used for culling.
      • Head shots only allowed for maximum meat usage.
  • Step 3 Bleeding

    • Within ten minutes after the animal was killed the bleeding process is started, by severing the jugular vein and carotid artery in either side of the neck with a sterilized knife.
    • Small to Medium animals are bled in a hanging position.
    • The fast bleeding process ensures excellent quality meat.
    • Properly bled carcasses facilitates maximum shelf life (12 to 18 months when kept frozen at -18°C or lower)
    •  

  • Step 4 First Post-Mortem Inspection

    • Meat safety inspection (Meat examiner and Provincial State Vet)
    • During culling preliminary inspections are done on the hunting procedure, bleeding times, and hygiene standard of equipment and transport.
    • Evisceration happens at the farm slaughter facility.
    • Carcasses are cooled down to below 7°C within 24 hours.

  • Step 5 Transport

    • Partially dressed carcasses are sent to the abattoir in cooled trucks.
    • Truck temperatures maintained below 7°C.
    • Carcasses are only released to the abattoir if a temperature below 7°C has been achieved in 24 hours.

  • Step 6 Off Loading Inspection of Truck. Carcasses & Documents

    • Export documentation of truck of animals are verified by the VPH official and independent Meat Inspector (Camo Meat use Agency for Food Safety)
    • VPN 9 – Annexure A, B & C
    • The truck seal is broken by a provincial Veterinary Public Health Official or VPH Veterinarian.
    • Meat safety inspection is done by VPH official and independent Meat Inspector while carcasses are still on the truck and while offloading takes place
    • Carcasses should be under 7°C in a time span of 24 hours from the time of harvest.
    • Partially dressed carcasses only received at the abattoir if cooled below 7°C in 24 hour period.
    • Carcasses are offloaded into a chiller running below 7°C at the abattoir side of the facility.

  • Step 7 Dressing of Carcass

    • Dressing takes place at a temperature of under 12°C.
    • The dressing is done with clean knives sterilized at 82°C
    • A 2 knife colour system is in place – for each carcass, a new sterilized knife is used.
    • All meat contaminated with blood and hair is cut away by the slaughter team.
    • All material (hoofs, skin, head, etc.)not fit for human consumption is removed to a designated room in bins marked for this purpose.

  • Step 8 Inspection by independent Meat Inspector

    • After skinning, incisions are made to the carcass to inspect for the disease.
    • Any abnormalities of muscles, bones, tendons, joints, or other tissues.
    • If the Meat Inspector finds any suspect carcasses that do not comply with the standards, the carcass is sent to the DFI for a secondary inspection by a veterinarian.
    • If any diseases are evident – a report has to be sent to DAFF for the national database for reportable diseases. The carcass will be condemned.

    The following are considered:
    State of nutrition | Colour | Odour | Symmetry | Efficiency of bleeding | Contamination | Pathological conditions | Parasitic infestation | Injection marks | Bruising and injuries

  • Step 9 Deboning

    • Meat is stored in chillers at less than 7°C until deboning starts.
    • Deboning takes place at a room temperature of under 12°C.
    • A two knife colour system is in place- every hour the knife is exchanged for a clean sterilized knife.
    • Cuts / Trimmings are accumulated in crates with liners until full. And then it is sent to the wet packaging area.
    • The crates with primal cuts are sent after trimming for vacuum packing in the packing zone.
    • Deboned meat cuts.
    • Cuts are fully cleaned before they are vacuum-sealed.

  • Step 10 Packaging – Wet Packaging & Vacuum Packaging

    • Primals are packed in 70-micron vacuum bags for maximum shelf life retention.
    • Each vacuum bag is labeled with the specie and cut name.
    • Primals are then packed into a box – the kilograms of these boxes vary +/- 20 kg.
    • Trimmings are packed in a bag, vacuumed, and packed in a box – 20kg (4 x 5 kg)
    • Packaging – Dry Packaging & Boxing
    • Vacuum sealed products is then packed in the bottom of the box. The lid will only be put on after blast freezing
    • After vacuum packing the product is packed in a bottom box with air holes for maximum airflow.
    • Ventilation holes – to ensure proper blast freezing.
    • The first traceability label is put on the bottom of the box.

  • Step 11 X-Ray Scanning – Scanning for Foreign Objects.

    • Meat is sent for X ray scanning to ensure no foreign objects like projectile points / bullets are inside the meat.
    • Splintered bone fragments and anything that does not belong to the meat are picked up by the x-ray machine and can be taken out and discarded before blast freezing the product.
    • Consumer safety is first priority.

  • Step 12 Blast Freezing

    • The box is placed in a crate with large air holes for cold air to circulate around the product.
    • The product is placed in the blast freezer for 24 hours to freeze to -18°C

  • Step 13 Boxing / Pallets / Wrapping

    • After blast freezing the product temperature is checked to ensure it is below -18°C.
    • The top lid of the box is placed on the box. The second traceability label is put on the lid
    • The tamper-proof tape is used to strap the box.
    • Boxes are packed on pallets and wrapped with stretch wrap to secure the boxes during transit.

  • Step 14 Storage / Holding Freezer

    • After palletizing and wrapping the boxes are stored in the holding freezers at temperatures of -25°C.

  • Step 15 Dispatch

    • Freezer shipping containers maintaining product temperature at -21°C are used to place pallets in for shipping to its destination.
    • Containers are sealed by the South African State Vet to ensure full compliance in accordance with the country of destination import regulations.

gamesa
  • Department of Health

    Registered at the Department of health of South Africa – with a valid Reg 962 Certificate from Waterberg District Municipality – for our facility and cold transport vehicles.

  • Wildlife Trade Permit

    A valid Wildlife Trade & Regulation Permit issued by the Department of economic development, Environment, and Tourism- Limpopo Province.

  • Abattoir Registration

    Abattoir Registration Certificate – issued by the Department of Agriculture – Limpopo Province  Reg nr : 2/7 G

  • Member of PCOASA

    Member of PCOASA – Professional Culling Operators Association of South Africa

  • Member of GameSA

    Member of GameSA – Game Abattoirs and Meat Exporters of South Africa.

  • Meat Examiner

    Qualified Meat examiner and independent Meat Inspector registered with Department of Agriculture – Limpopo Province.

  • Meat Inspection

    Independent meat inspection services provided by the Agency for Food Safety.

  • Export Certification

    Export Certification issued by the Department Of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries – by the director of Veterinary Public Health. ZA 375